Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. “ Yos,” answered the Countess: “ by half-past eleven o’clock al! will have retired.” The Countess quitted the guard-room : Charles and Fossano were now alone together. “T shall seize this opportunity,” said the spy, “of penning my billet.” “Do so,” said Charles. “It were better to write it unobserved and thus run no risk of detec: tion.” Fossano was scarcely a minute in committing a few hieroglyphic lines to paper; and when he bad finished, he was about to fold the missive. “One moment!” said Charles; let me what you have written :”—and deliberately taking up the paper, he read its contents, which ran as follow :— “The attempt is to be made upon Leghorn. The expedition sails from Genoa. Fifty peraons were assembled here. Ortona commands. The sisters will go. Let the chaise be stopped and myself and companion liberated.” ~ wou 600,” said Fossano, “ that I am dealing fairly by you. I stipulate for your release as well as for my own.” “T know it,” said Charles; “and this §onsidera- tion shall have its weight with me.” “What do you mean ?” asked the spy, with uneasiness depicted in his looks, ““] mean,” rejoined De Vere eternly, “ that by the exercise of more dissimulation than ever I nave before displayed in all my life, I have gleaned your secrets.” “Good God!’ murmured Fossano, turning deadly pale; “is it possible that you mean to bo. tray me P” “No! that is not my purpose,” replied our | hero: “that is to say, provided you fulfil my com- | mands.” “But surely, surely I have not misunderstood | you P” said Fossano, still speaking as if under the weight of consternation: “surely you wish to emancipate yourself ?” 287 Fossano, in amazement. ‘“ Instead of endeavour: ing to defeat the couspiracy, you are giving it all the succour in your powor !—instead of adopting measures for your own escape, you are compelling yourself to go to Leghorn, where who knows what may befall you ?” “Thavo already told you that I will not betray these conepirators—and therefore I will not frus- trate the conspiracy ; because it is impossible to accomplish one thing apart from the other. Aus for compelling myself to go to Leghorn, it is my business, not your's,” ‘While Charles was thus speaking, Fossano re- flected deeply ; and all in a moment be sprang up from hie seat, crushed the letter in his hand, and tossed it into the fire. ' “Villain! do you defy me?” ejaculated De Vere. No !—but I accuse you as a spy!” cjaculatea Fossano : and springing upon Charles, who had not an instant’s leisure to defend himself, he hurled him upon the pavement-tloor, at the same time crying out for help. | The door was burst open—three or four of the brethren rushed in — and our hero was mado a prisoner. ‘Search him at once!” cried Fossano ; “and let some one hasten to make a report to the Mar- quis {”” CHAPTER L. THE ACCUSATION AND THE DEFFNCE. ALL that wo have just related took place so sud- lenly—indeed with such whirlwind rapidity—that vharles was smitten as it were with complete dis- may; and thus there was something in his looks which seemed to corroboruto the accusation flung ut against him by the treacbcrous Tuscan. The brethren searched bim; and from his waistcoat pocket they took the billut in cipher which Fos- sano had first written, and which Charks, while “Not by the violation of oaths deliberate! ye dictating the second note, had inadvertently foided taken,” answered Charles; “nor under circum- stances which must lead to the betrayal of many of my fellow-creatures to the scaffold——no, nor to tho prejudice of those two sisters so high- minded and so unselfish, so beautiful and so mag- nanimous! No, vile wretch! nor to put gold into the pocket of such as thou! But quake not !—it is not my purpose to bring about your own de- struction. Take your pen, and write another billet to my dictation in this same cipher.” Fussano—terribly crestfallen, and inwardly en- raged—found himself completely in De Vere’s power; and concealing bis emotions as well as he was able, he prepared to write to the young gentleman’s dictation. The words which De Vere thus dictated ran as follow :— “No attempt is to be made for the present : but Lam leaving Turin to follow up a clue which I have obtained. You will hear from me in due course, when I shall know more. It is needless to watch the Spartivento palace: indeed, it were much better that thore should be no espionage in that quarter.” “What can be the meaning of this?” asked up and thus placed about his person. “Signors, I am innocent!” he exclaimed, at longth recovering bis self-possession. “ 1 am inno- cent, I take heaven to witness !—and that man is ho spy !” “You will not get «any pooplo to believe that assertion, my friend,” said Fussano, with a sneer. ‘What is the matter?” inquired the Marquie of Ortona, who at this instant entered the guard- room. “What! they say De Vere is a spy? Impossible !” _ “It is true, my lord!” said the Tuscan emphati- cally. . “It is false!—false as pandemonium iteelf exclaimed our hero indignantly. “Let me be heard !” ** Good heavens, quarrelling ! disputing! when there should be naught but tho complest unani- mity of action! or shame, signors!” 1t was the Countess di Milazzo who thus spoke at the instant she reached: the threshold: but she caught not ‘the words that wero previously ute tered from the lips of our horo and the Marquis. “What can it all mean ?” she demanded, think. ing it must bo something more than a quarrel 429 inn CONMIG IN@OIlK